If Tessa Bailey has one fan, it’s me. I swear, she’s an auto-buy author and how did I get lucky enough to get an ARC of this book??!!

The third book in this series, we have Sig (also a hockey player) and Chloe, a naive and sheltered girl who is also a harp prodigy. Unbeknownst to them both, their parents are planning to get married (surprise!) which will soon make them step siblings. Too bad they’ve both fallen hard and fast for the other!!

Only TB could make a taboo romance not at all cringy or weird and god, I love her for it. She is the queen on spice scenes and never fails there.

Insta-love is not one of my favorite tropes, but it doesn’t even matter here because I am all in. Sig and Chloe are perfect for each other in that way that is just so all encompassing but also so sweet. The overprotective guy is also not something I usually love in a book, but I loved how Sig wanted to spoil and protect her, while also helping her gain independence for the first time.

Again, Sig is major man written by a woman vibe but I don’t care. Is any of him realistic? No idea. But he is kind of amazing and I love him.

Chloe gives me major Piper Bellinger vibes (It Happened One Summer — a masterpiece, iykyk) and I like her all the more for it. She’s kind of silly and impulsive and a little ditzy, but she’s trying something hard and pushing herself out of her comfort zone. And she also feels pretty realistic to me, like if she was my friend she’d drive me crazy but I’d love her for that.

This book is just so sweet and cute, and feels like a warm hug. There is something so comforting about a Tessa Bailey book. I know I’m going to love the characters and I know I’ll love the story. Bonus, it’ll be super hot.

I am so excited we have at least two more books in this series (Boston based babyyyyy) and I know they will also be a wild ride!

Thank you so much to Tessa Bailey, Avon Books, and NetGalley for the eARC. Dream Girl Drama comes out
February 4th!

I was not so patiently waiting for this book to come out! I have loved every book in this series. While this story is about a hockey player it is not the typical hockey romance story. Not a lot of time spent on his life as a hockey player. The TENSION between them... so good. I love Tessa's style of writing - it is fast paced and steamy. Could not put it down. Love this series!

5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What is the correct way to greet a woman you loved with every fiber of your fucking soul, but couldn’t have?

Dream Girl Drama is the third novel in the adult sports romance series, Big Shots, which consist of interconnected standalones. Written in third person dual POV, the story follows Sig and Chloe, a talented hockey player and a sheltered harpist prodigy who find themselves drawn to each other but unable to be together.

Their first meeting at a country club after Sig's truck breaks down leads to sparks flying and a powerful kiss but just as their connection sparks they find everything halted when they discover they are to become step siblings. Unable to explore things romantically but wanting more Sig offers Chloe a way to break free of her dependence on her mother. As they spend more time together they find it more difficult to keep lines drawn. Will they be able to find a chance to be more or will the family drama and media image tear them apart?

THE PINING!

Gah I loved this romance so much!

Chloe is a chaotic mess that is absolutely adorable. She has spent her life quite closeted by her mom and seeing her gain independence in small ways was cute. She has a tendency of spending money willy-nilly and she relies heavily on Sig for a lot in this novel (he wants that, though) but towards the end we see her stand on her own for a bit. She is kind, bubbly, and so much fun to read.

Sig is a man consumed with love and I was there for every minute of it. For him Chloe is everything and he is willing to be whatever she needs just so he can be in her life. His devotion, his sacrifice, just ripped into my heart piece by piece. You can see he struggles so hard to maintain boundaries while he tries to figure out a way forward. His relationship with his dad is at the core of this conflict and it was interesting to see him navigate this.

There are a few side characters that help flesh out this story. We get to see some of our previous crew like Burgess and Tallulah from the last book as well as Skylar and Corrigan who's stories seemed to be teased here. New characters like Grace shake things up alongside Chloe and Sig's parents that challenge our main characters. There was tension, banter, and so much fun brought in by this crew.

In terms of spice I would say this book is about 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. It is a slow burn because of the forbidden aspect of the romance. There is an instant connection between these two and their romance is powerful and heavy - they are essentially together but without the benefits. I adored this connection and banter that came with it. When the spice hits in the 70-80% it is obsessive and almost feral with desperation. I think it highlights the passion these two have been building and the breaking point was just perfection. Dirty talk, play, and more!

“Chloe, I would sell my fucking soul for you and smile while I signed on the dotted line.”

While the core of the story follows Chloe and Sig navigating their relationship there is more at play. Sig is trying to unravel his father's motivations for marriage and whether they are sincere as well as dealing with the countdown of his work contract ending. Chloe is finally pursuing her musical education while learning about independence. This book is a character driven book filled with cheese and fun. I will say the whole forbidden aspect of their relationship required me to suspend my disbelief because I didn’t fully understand why they were so forbidden…but holy crap the emotions and feelings that came from the pages. I teared up at one point! I loved the passion between these two and the exploration of self that comes with them learning to be together and be apart. The ending is the sweetest and I could not get enough.

Tessa Bailey is an author that can nail each book for me and this is another example!

Thank you Avon for this arc!

She's his dream girl.... she's also soon to be his... stepsister.

This book was entertaining and definitely had its share of drama. We've got hockey player Sig who meets his literal dream girl mere hours before learning she's about to become his stepsister. Can they fight their intense attraction?

Overall this book was a fun and quick read - true to Tessa Bailey's style we get some smutty smut. I wanted to rate this high. I like the cover and the title and these characters were teased in book two of this series - I definitely wanted this story.

I think the immediate insta-love took a little bit away from the yearning for this couple. Mere hours after meeting and he's already basically in L-O-V-E. Then he's super possesive of her - in some cases the "mine" vibe and possessive male is awesome - this almost felt toooooo much. Then on the flip side, Chloe was completely inept for the majority of this book. I get that she grew up rich and spoiled but comments about not being able to pay rent because she bought too much Sephora makeup had me really annoyed. He spent most of the book wanting to be able to give her a lavish lifestyle and that was a downer for me.

That said, this book flew by and was easy to read along. There were times I definitely found humor or got lost in the story and enjoyed it. So I'd say it's a 3.5 edging towards 3.75 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper and Avon publishers for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for an advance copy. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

TLDR: A fun, yet insightful, addition to the Big Shot series by Tessa Bailey.

Rating 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4

I’ve read a number of Tessa Bailey’s books prior to this one. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the verging-on-taboo plot, but her characters evolve and grow. Plus, her bio claims a guaranteed happily ever after, so I wanted to see how the story played out. Please do not DNF this based on the one plot point.

This is definitely a more complex story line due to the topic. It was more than just a vehicle for the steamy scenes Tessa is known for writing. I really had sympathy for these characters because of the dual-third person-perspectives and hopped the HEA would resolve the forbidden aspect of the romance. The setup of how they meet was so fun. While it starts as insta-love (which is common in Tessa’s books), it quickly changes to a slow burn romance because of their parents, so there was more chemistry to be developed outside the bedroom. This led to some great banter as well. (Don’t get me wrong, we still got a few very spicy scenes.)


My only complaint is that by the halfway point, I started to become frustrated because the timeline wasn’t making any sense with the timeline of the previous book in the series (“The Au Pair Affair”). I know these books are meant to be stand-alone books with some overlap, but the timetable was still strange. I will need to read the published copy to see if this was adjusted as I am finishing the book one week prior to publication day.




<SPOILER>
In the event the timeline issues are not resolved, I went back and got the other book and reviewed some chapters. Chloe is a big part of the second story. This book skips over the part of time where Tallulah lives with her. The first time we see the two characters together, Tallulah is engaged, which further confuses the timeline since that happens at the end of the book.

I found the verging-on-taboo plot point to really make me think. What if these were my friends? Why do people need to care? The fact that the secondary characters supported Chloe and Sig without judgement was wonderful. The realism of the situation came in with the people who held power over their careers. More people need to remember that love isn’t something they should be judging about others. If they are doing their job and they are not doing something illegal, then we need to step away. I think what frustrated me was the judgement coming because they would be related due to a second (or fifth) marriage.

I have to admit that reading as many books in this genre sometimes makes them more predictable. Tessa Bailey did not go the way I expected with the plot (I expected the PI to find Harvey was stealing money from his ex-wives somehow. While the ‘not his father’ part worked, it was a little anticlimactic for me.)

I really loved how Chloe built her independence, even with Sig’s help, though sometimes it was too much. I think this is why I missed having Talulah brought into the story. I loved that Chloe and Sig communicated more than some of the couples in other books. The third act wasn’t so much a breakup but I need to do what is best for the one I love. I hope there will be another addition or two into the series with Corrigan and Skylar and maybe even Mailer and Reese? I feel they will be much less alpha-male than Burgess and Sig leading to a different kind of story.

</SPOILER>

Super easy to read, fun, addictive story. Chloe and Sig's story was so fun to follow along with. I have loved everything Tessa Bailey I have read so far and this definitely did not disappoint.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of the latest installment of the Big Shots series from Tessa Bailey. I went into this not expecting much. I didn’t love book two, and the premise of this one (almost step-siblings) kind of gave me minor ick. I knew eventually Sig and Chloe would end up together, so I spent a long time trying to figure out how that would happen. I appreciated that the characters weren’t actually throwing their entire lives out the window for each other (something that often happens in romance novels). They both had lives separate of one another, which was refreshing. There was still the typical “you’re mine” and overprotective schtick from the MMC, but Tessa managed to keep it under control. Plus she can write a hell of a steamy scene. I recommend if you like TB and I will pick up the next book in this series too.

Tessa Bailey never fails! Thank you for the opportunity to review this copy - I really enjoyed this book! The tension was fantastic and even though I don't usually love the MPDG character type in a lot of cases, this was actually really lovely and I found myself really attached to Chloe. Wonderful and can't wait to read it again with my book club when it's out!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Now that I got that out, I'd like to thank Avon, Harper Voyager, and Tessa Bailey for an eARC Netgalley of this book.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of the Big Shots series this far, and wow, did this one exceed my expectations.

Sig may have skated his way to the top of my sports romance book boyfriends. I just knew that the story between Chloe and Sig was going to be amazing, while reading Tallulah and Burgess's love story, and they did not disappoint! I don't want to say too much because I hate seeing spoilers in reviews, but just know that there were so many highlighted moments in this one!

We get some of the *best* contemporary romance tropes:
- Sports Romance
- Step-siblings?
- Forbidden Romance
- They're obsessed with each other (like really really obsessed)

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩, 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙤’𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢.

Chloe & Sig have an adorable meet cute, with instant high chemistry, and they agree to meet later that night to…see where things might go. 😉 But before they can meet up as planned, they end up meeting up at their parents dinner, where their parents announce their engagement! 😱

So, right off the bat…let’s get my one issue with this book out of the way first: the premise. 🫣 They’re in their mid to late 20’s. Their parents are engaged to be married, so they’re *going to be* step siblings, which is a huge problem, and too taboo for the public eye? I mean…is it?? I didn’t really see the problem, so every time the drama popped up with it, I had a hard time buying into it….

So, why did I still rate it so high? Because I still absolutely LOVED it! The chemistry, the tension, the angst, all the yearning, was all so achingly beautiful, and I was so IN to their story.

Chloe is a sheltered 25 year old (I know, I know, but I loved her “manic pixie dream girl energy”) and she was so super sweet and fun, I just loved her innocence so much.

And Sig was the sweetest, most obsessed, (borderline over?)protective MMC.

Every time I picked this book up, I was feeling all those aching, emotional moments, and was just waiting and waiting to see how their “issue” would be resolved. 🥺

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and @netgalley for providing me an early copy of this ebook. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Sports Romance (Hockey)
✅ Dual POV
✅ “Lust at first sight”
✅ Future Step Siblings
✅ Forbidden
✅ Angst
✅ Tension
✅ Yearning

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

I expect nothing but the best from Tessa Bailey and as per usual, she delivered! Sig and Chloe’s relationship was raw and real and emotional, filled with tension, longing, and true, powerful love. Neither of them felt two dimensional, they had their own backstories that added life and emotion to the plot.

This book was so many things, Hot, satisfying, weird, frustrating, significant WTF moments but the backstory here for some of the other Big Shots series books made so much sense. It was classic Tessa Bailey in its finest Hockey rink meets Sephora glory.

If you think you’re the kind of reader who insta-hates insta-love, I’m going to need you to read Tessa Bailey’s Dream Girl Drama.

If the premise has you hesitating - I get it. Me too. But this was a “trust the process” read. And you can trust it.

Not many writers could navigate through insta-love AND this kind of forbidden romance (not to worry, there is more to it than meets the eye!). But I think it was brilliant to get all of that out in the first 10% so we can move on.

And the reason I was able to move on, was that Bailey somehow manages to turn insta-love into the slowest burn of any of her books. And I was here for the pining (and let’s be honest, you kind of always know they won’t actually be step siblings and can enjoy the story)

In short, Bailey gives us something completely new for the sports romance.

- She turns insta-love into a slow burn
- She turns forbidden love to feasible love
- She turns a jealous/aggressive hockey player into a golden-retriever, gentle simp of a man (seriously he is gone for her)
- She turns a five-chili pepper book into a heartfelt love story

And Pierre the bulldog? Elite.

Was this perfect? No. But it took risks and I like that. There were a few pretty cheesy lines and I didn’t care for the epilogue - but overall I enjoyed this read and think it will be really popular.

This third book in Bailey's Big Shots series was a hilarious, heartfelt, and steamy romance. Sig and Chloe have instant attraction and fiery chemistry from their very first accidental meeting. They planned to meet later, to continue what they started, only to discover they were soon to be step-siblings. They were both shocked and crestfallen that they couldn't act on their connection. They tried to be friends, but everyone saw what they tried to hide. These Star-crossed lovers couldn't stay away from each other as Sig helped her settle into her new life, and Chloe cheered for him on the ice. When they couldn't hold off any longer, they were explosive together. But soon their careers are in jeopardy, forcing them to choose between their dreams and each other. I loved the sexual tension between Sig and Chloe. Sig is so sweet, thoughtful, and protective and Chloe is brave, and her confidence is growing, making them so perfect for each other. I enjoyed Sigs teammates who cause more hilarity, complications, and drama that had me laughing out loud, swooning, and cheering for Sig and Chloe's HEA. I really enjoyed this charming, heartfelt and steamy romance.

Loved this book. Such a fun and spicy read. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Pros
- Loved how gone for her he was when he first saw her
- Fun banter
- Really fun to read
- Hot spicy scenes
- Great chemistry
- Just the right amount of drama

Cons
- They call their parents by their first names
- Would have liked to see more of their HEA

I know several other reviewers said they didn’t understand why it was such a big deal that they are step siblings since they were adults when they met. But as somebody who got step siblings in her late 20s, I can see how there would be a taboo/forbidden factor. The drama did not feel manufactured to me.

3.75 rounded to 4.

This is a forbidden, insta love, sports romance between future step siblings, Chloe and Sig.
First, absolutely read The Au Pair Affair before this. While not required, the backstory of Sig and Chloe has great lead up in it. Now, onto Dream Girl Drama. This was enjoyable, fast paced and a lot of fun. I flew through the first 50%, but parts after that dragged a bit for me. There's nothing specifically I can pinpoint as to why. Sig and Chloe are adorable and, as always, Tessa Bailey does insta love the best out of anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of this delightful book.

Dream Girl Drama proves that Tessa Bailey isn’t just the Michelangelo of dirty talk, she’s the Picasso of pining and the Bernini of broodiness. The third interconnected standalone in Bailey’s Big Shots series, this novel delivers all of the above and more.

Fans of the series will recognize the characters of Sig and Chloe, and I, for one, was thrilled to finally read their story. Make no mistake, even though this book is more of a slow burn, it’s still piping hot. Bailey adeptly ratchets up the sexual tension between the two until readers are also begging for relief. And what a relief it is.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of classes and professional disciplines, and appreciated the way that Bailey subverts the stepsiblings trope. And my goodness, is Sig a whole vibe. He ticks all of the boxes of a classic Bailey hero, whilst also being a wholly unique protagonist. Chloe, similarly, is a delight. Their chemistry is INCENDIARY. My. Goodness. All of the fire emojis for this book.

Will this be one of my favorite 2025 reads? Absolutely. I already can’t wait for the next one.

I was so excited to find out that Sig and Chloe were getting their own book and was even more excited to be able to get the opportunity to review it! Tessa once again kills it! The banter between Sig and Chloe was so wonderful. I loved every moment of it!

You meet someone and hit it off then you find out you’re gonna be step siblings so you decide not to pursue them. This story was okay the chemistry between them was good vey insta. Our FMC I felt needed saving and our mmc was willing to give more than he got. The story was fine moved along nice, good chemistry.

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much, @NetGalley and @AvonBooks, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was thrilled when I saw this book on NetGalley, and even more excited when I found out I was approved for it 🥰

This story follows Sig, a professional hockey player, and Chloe, a music prodigy. They meet abruptly at a private country club, and to say they had chemistry is an understatement.
Long story short, they discover they are step-siblings, and the tension between them throughout the book is off the charts! I enjoyed this rom-com and loved the way Sig was head over heels for Chloe and how he went out of his way to help her at every turn. My heart was rooting for them and hoping for the best.
The only thing I wished is that there was more character growth instead of running from the issues they faced. I also felt like some parts dragged on a little, while other parts felt short-lived, which impacted the overall pacing.
Without giving too much away, I loved the ending and am excited to see if something is on the horizon between Skylar and Corrigan 🤭 That would be fun!


If you love insta-love, hockey romance reads, future step-sibling turned forbidden love, rom-coms, and mutual pining, this 📚 is for you 🤗